Holiday Weightloss: A How-to Guide

Ha! SO SO SO SO SOOOO not true.

Warning: this is a long one. I'm going to make you think on a Monday.


Okay, so we've been talking (or at least I have) about saying focused on our wellness goals and not gaining the average seven pounds that Americans put on during the holidays.  And you may be sitting looking at your screen saying, "Sounds good Healthy Heather but HOW?  How the heck am I going to do that?!?"  


Well keep your britches on! I'm going to tell you!  You'll need two things:


1. A calculator (yes, there is math)
2. Someplace to accurately log calories.  
I suggest an account on the free food journaling website Fitday.com.


In order to lose or maintain weight during the holidays (or any time of year) you need to know what you're working with.  In other words, you need to  determine your Basal Metabolic Rate.  Your BMR is the number of calories your body burns at rest.  That is, if you were to lie in bed all day watching Harry Potter movies back to back all day long, your BMR is the number of calories it would take for your body to keep pushing the remote control past all the parts with Dobby the House Elf in them. That's your base.  To find out what yours is, use this formula.  Keep in mind this is just an estimate!

Women: BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight in lbs) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years)
Men: BMR = 66 + (6.23 x weight in lbs) + (12.7 x height in inches) – (6.8 x age in years)

For example, this is what that looks like for me: 

• 655 + (4.35 x 140) + (4.7 x 64) – (4.7 x 34)
• 655 + 609 + 301 – 150 = 1,415 calories burned AT REST

Okay. Now, unless you really do lie in bed watching Harry Potter every day, we need to multiply your BMR by your activity level.  Use the following descriptors to categorize yourself, and if you're somewhere in the middle of two categories, well, split the difference!

• Sedentary: multiply BMR x 1.2
• Light activity (1-3 days per week): BMR x 1.375
• Moderately active (3-5 days per week): BMR x 1.55
• Very active (hard activity 6-7 day per week): BMR x 1.725
• Extra active (training for a sport full time): BMR x 1.9

Example, for me: 
1,415 calories burned AT REST x 1.725 = 2,440 calories burned on average each day

According to my collected data, this is pretty darn accurate. On average, on days when I exercise, my GoWearFit shows that I burn between 2,500 and 2,600 calories. On rest days when I just walk around doing normal stuff but don't work out, I burn an average of 1,800 – 2,000 calories.  So I trust this formula.

Okay!  Now that we have a good idea how many calories we are using up in a day, we need to know how many we are eating.


Yep.


You gotta write it down.  Everything.   Half cookies count, that little spoonful of peanut butter counts, and food you taste even though you're making it for someone else...that counts.  Food that no one saw you eat, yeah, that counts.  If it is digested by your body, you count it.  It's science people. I can't help it.

Fitday makes it easy to keep track of it all with a ginormous food database, and it calculates everything for you.  Your goal is for the number of calories you EAT to be the same or less than the number of calories you BURN.  


To lose weight, you need to burn more than you eat.  It really is that simple.  If when you enter in your food and you don't like what you see on either end, change it. Either eat less or move around more - your choice.  I think you will see that the cleaner and healthier your food choices become, the happier that scenario begins to look.  However, pay close attention to the number of calories you are taking in; eating fewer than 1,200 calories for women or 1,800 calories for men is not recommended and can do more harm than good.  You have to eat. Again, it's science.  I can't change science. If I could, trust me things would be different around here.


Remember, our goal during the holidays is progress, not perfection. By being aware of your caloric needs and intake, you can minimize the damage done to your wellness and make January a much happier month.  


Do the math!  Do it today!  Make progress!

Wham! Pow!

What a great workout this morning!  I donned my boxing gloves and spent a little time sparring with my trainer, which was a really fun way to start the day.  People say that boxing is a good way to get rid of any frustrations, but I have had such a fun week that I don't have much angst built up.  But it still felt good to hit stuff.


We're coming into the first weekend of the holiday season, so you may be facing parties, baking, and more. Remember our deal - progress, not perfection.  I'm doing some baking myself this weekend and my goal is to weigh the same on Monday as I do tomorrow morning!  The number on the scale is just one small part of our overall wellness, but knowing you're going to be checking is a good way to stay accountable about those sneaky little things like sodium, alcohol, and sugar that will cause us to retain water and feel unhealthy, which will make us frustrated and lead us to be less motivated to stick to our healthy goals.  So give it a shot!


I've also broken out my trusty calendar stickers, and I've been putting one for exercise and one for nutrition on my calendar each day.  November looks awesome!  All of those stickers all lined up means I had one healthy month.  I have the same goal for December: a sticker on five days a week for exercise (real, hard, sweaty, calorie-torching exercise) and a sticker for every day of the week that I have a calorie deficit.  


Take the weekend to think of some small things you can do to make sure you're making progress on your wellness this month.  Then, rest up.  I have a doozy of a post for you on Monday!


Have a great, healthy weekend!  Good day!

Sometimes: A Confession

There's something I need to tell you.  Brace yourself, it may come as a shock. Are you sitting down?  Here goes:

I'm not perfect.

I know.  I know!  I was just as surprised as you!  But here's the thing - sometimes I just don't feel like doing the healthy thing.  And I am here to confess it to you today. 

Sometimes I don't feel like getting out of bed and going to the gym.  Sometimes I walk part of my run because I just don't wanna. I run harder the next day.

Sometimes I have a serious craving for a big greasy cheeseburger. And some of those times I get one.  

Sometimes I ask my husband to make me a chocolate martini even though they are loaded with sugar and I don't really have the calories for it.  And I eat the Hershey kiss he puts in the bottom.  And I put it in my food log even though I don't want to.

Sometimes I slack off at the gym and don't work as hard as I can.  I work harder the next day instead.

Probably four nights out of the week, my husband, son, and I eat completely different things for dinner and I don't care one bit even though there are probably hundreds of child psychologists  who will tell me I am ruining my family.  Sometimes we just don't want to eat the same thing and I don't see why we should have to.

I bribe my child with trips to get "ice cream" (shhhh, it's actually fro-yo) and sometimes I don't put fruit on mine. Sometimes I put little pieces of cheesecake. Scandal!

I feel better telling you this because sometimes I get worried that all of the people who think I never do unhealthy things really do think I never do unhealthy things. But I do.  Granted, my diversions from wellness are pretty pathetic in the grand scheme of things, but still.  They're my diversions.


Don't judge my diversions! LOL


And during this time of year, it's easy to let the sometimes things turn into the usual things and eventually turn into the way you've always done it.  


Look, I know its harder to be healthy during the holidays. I get that.  But I don't care!  It's still important!  


So let's make a deal: we don't have to be perfect. Gasp!  I can't believe I typed that!

You're not off the hook to be healthy just because it's National Goof-off Month! We don't have to be perfect, but we do have to still make progress.  
Because sometimes, it's amazing what you can do when you try.

Fit Tip for the Holidays

Some people say it is better to give than to receive during the holidays. I've noticed that a lot of those people are trying to give me rum cake.

But they're right - giving is a joy and the ability to give is a blessing.  So, give yourself and the people around you a gift this season: the gift of a wonderful January because you didn't eat all that rum cake.


That's right - here is today's Healthy Heather's Holiday Tip!


Tip 'o the Day: Be prepared!

Even the best-laid plans can go awry, but rarely does that happen when you are prepared. Look ahead to your week and categorize any holiday activities this way:


1. Category 1: What you can control. Like for example, YOU can control what you eat for breakfast, snacks, lunch, and dinner. For real, you can. I dare anyone to open your mouth with a prybar and shove food down your throat. 

2. Category 2: What you can’t control.  You can't control what your friend makes for a party that you attend, and you can't control what someone brings to the office kitchen and displays in plain sight.  You can, however, control your reaction to it.  Which brings us to category number 3!

3. Category 3: What battles you are going to fight.  Okay, I get that it is the holidays and I know it is hard to not get caught up in the food worship.  So, if necessary, compromise with yourself – maybe a glass of wine is okay but not wine AND cheese and crackers.  If you want to indulge in holiday food, make it worth it.  There is a difference between an indulgence and a binge.  Know your limits.

As always, please remember - the holidays are about celebrating with family and friends, and that can be done without food being the centerpiece.  By thinking ahead and making a plan, you can avoid being mistaken for Santa Claus come January.

Be good!  He sees you when you're eating! :)

The Turkish Get-Up is not a dance step. And there is no turkey.

For some, bracing for crowds, snatching deals, lifting shopping bags, and balancing their Christmas shopping is enough of a workout on the day after Thanksgiving.  Others brace themselves in an uber-plank, snatch kettlebells, lift their own body weight, and center their balance in a whole new kind of turkey-inspired indulgence.  I would fall into the second category. But you knew that.

On Black Friday I put on my black chucks and headed to Boot Camps to Go to workout with one of my most favoritest trainers, Laurel Blackburn.  I like Laurel because she not only knows her stuff when it comes to human physiology and conditioning, but she is a stickler for the details of form and function, just like me.  You can read more about her in Women's Health and Oxygen magazines, where she's been profiled for her no-nonsense perspective on achieving physical fitness and her popular Boot Camp workouts.  She's super cool.

Anyway, I was glad to finally have some time to learn about kettlebells, the ancient workout that is the new rage among fitness types.  Read my post on Kettlebells: Know Your Pro for the info.  I was not disappointed!  Wow, not only was working with kettlebells seriously tough mentally and physically, I managed to burn off the bowl of Thanksgiving Oatmeal I had devoured on the drive over in no time.  That was pretty sweet.

Kettlebells require serious attention to form and technique, and that is what makes the certification of your instructor so important.  In just the hour that I spent learning some of the basics, I could see how this is the kind of workout that never gets stale: there is always another level of improvement, heavier bells, and more advanced technique.  Working out with kettlebells is about more than just burning calories (which it does, in droves).  It's also a deliberate way to center your focus on one task, which requires you to forget about everything else cluttering your brain.  That was pretty sweet, too.  I learned how to correctly swing the bells, how to do a kettlebell squat, and got reacquainted with the fact that I am so not flexible.  Check me out in my super-fly workout gear! Oh yeah. I'm glamorous.


I think my favorite part of my Black Friday workout, though, was the nap.  What?  Okay, I didn't actually take a nap but I did get to lie down.  When Laurel told me we were going to do the Turkish Get-up I wasn't sure if she was going to give me her Thanksgiving leftovers or teach me a new dance step. It wasn't either of those.  Instead, well, it's easier to show you.  This video is long, but watch it anyway.

Learning this move was interesting, and I've been practicing it at home. It's a full-body exercise and a great way to start the day!

Look, it's a crucial time of year for staying healthy. The average person puts on seven pounds just in December!  If you want to avoid that, shake up the routine: increase intensity, try something new, and challenge yourself to not become a weight gain statistic.  For you locals, Laurel has a Monday, Wednesday, Friday KB class starting up in December - register for it!  If you're not from these parts, find a certified kettlebell instructor near you and give 'em a shot!

Consider it a Christmas gift to yourself. :)

My Favorite (Healthy) Things

Oprah's not the only one who can have favorite things, yo.  And even though I will go to my grave arguing that "My Favorite Things" is not a Christmas song, I will jump on the bandwagon and use it as a catchy phrase.  I know, I'm part of the problem.

Anyway, if you're shopping for healthy-minded folks (including yourself) this holiday season, here are some of my must-haves for a healthy 2011. 

1. A good kitchen scale. Being healthy means being accountable to yourself for what goes in your body.  I weigh pretty much every stinkin thing that I eat because my metabolism is just that stubborn and I am just that much of a pain in the butt. Without my digital kitchen scale I would be a take-no-prisoners manic nutcase and that is no lie.  I like mine (see pic) because it folds up and fits in my purse. Yes I take it places with me.  This is wellness without pity, people. Not wellness when you feel like it. 

2. Good fitness shoes.  After years of buying running shoes because they were cute in the store, because I had a coupon, or because they were orange, I finally went and got fitted for shoes like a grown-up.  I went to Capital City Runners where they have this pad you stand on that shows on a screen how you pronate, where your weight is balanced in your feet, etc. and a treadmill hooked up to a video camera so they can evaluate your running stride. I don't know if all of the technical mumbo-jumbo actually resulted in a scientific reason to get different shoes, but I do really love the shoes I bought as a result and have been injury and fatigue-free since, even though they are not orange.  Good shoes cannot be beat! 

3. GoWearFit. You know how much I love my little enabler.  I love it even more since I bought the display piece that shows my calorie burn in real time.  The GoWearFit is more than just a neat-o fitness gadget, it's data gold.  In the six months that I've worn mine, it has earned its $200 price tag time and time again - not only do I get an intense satisfaction from seeing the data attached to my workouts, it provides a calm peace of mind in that I have taken out 99% of the guess-work related to maintaining and improving my fitness.  I only estimate 99% so I don't piss off God.  He has been known to smite me when I get too cheeky.

4. YOU: On a Diet by Dr. Oz and that other guy. There have been like three versions of this book printed since I first read it eons ago, but the fundamentals don't change - eat clean, eat clean every day, and eat clean.  Seriously, eating clean, unprocessed, healthy foods (note: not all clean food is healthy, just eat the healthy ones) is the #1 most important all-time best thing you can do for your health.  This book explains in layman's terms, and with corny jokes and illustrations, how and why.  Buy it for yourself, buy it for a friend, buy it for your office.  And then actually read it, and then actually do it.

Okay, that's enough. We don't want to get greedy! I hope you have a fabulously healthy day!

See you soon!

Turkey Trot Success!

Well let me tell you, there's nothing quite so thrilling as peeing in the woods to make a Turkey Trot memorable.  Thanks, gents, for making your arrival known to me before we became much better acquainted!


I set a goal going into the 15k Trot of 1:33, and by my watch I finished at 1:33:16. Not bad considering I spent about a minute and a half de-tangling myself from a sticker bush and finding a nice big oak tree to pee behind around mile three! I don't know what this thing is with having to go during races, but I am so over it. Not cool, bladder. It was funny the first time but we're not doing that again.  Please make a note of it.  


Thank you.


Anyway, Thanksgiving was a low-key affair for me. As you know, I am not a big fan of the eating holidays; they're just mine fields for overdoing it in the name of sentimentality.  So I kept all of my Turkey Tips in mind and made it a really healthy day: a nice long run and lots of clean eats including a big Thanksgiving salad full of spinach, turkey, unsweetened dried cranberries, and toasted walnuts. I planned on making my healthy pumpkin pie, but decided to skip it.  My husband doesn't really care for pie, I could live without it, and I didn't want a whole pie sitting around, so I considered it a sign from the Turkey Gods that I just was not meant to gain a pound this Thanksgiving. Thank you, Turkey Gods!  I was rewarded with a nice calorie deficit this morning according to my GoWear Fit. A deficit of 29 calories, but hey I am so counting that as a victory.  Take THAT Thanksgiving!


And now Christmas is rushing towards us like a steam engine.  That means it's time to kick things into high gear!  Over the next month, I'll be here with tips, workouts, recipes, and more to help make your holiday a healthy one.  Starting off - my Black Friday workout at Boot Camps to Go.  


I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!  Now wake up!  Naptime is over! 


The holidays are here!